The site of the explosion was total chaos. James had used a visual lock to teleport himself to the mosque, where one of the minarets had collapsed. Dust and smoke made it hard to see past a few yards, but he could make up the raging fire glowing inside the building. People were running away from the site, pulling along their injured. The air was filled with screams, coughs and cries, the putrid smell of death and disaster a familiar one.
An elderly man bumped into James, stumbling as he tried to keep his hold of a small woman, her left temple covered in blood, smudging the side of her yellow headscarf. James ignored the fearful gaze the man shot him.
"I'll carry her," he said in Arabic, "you're also injured." The surge of adrenaline probably prevented the man from taking notice of the deep gash in his upper thigh, the fabric of his pants torn, clinging to his blood-soaked skin.
Dark eyes widened in surprise and the man gave James a shaky nod. "Šukran."
James lifted the small woman while telepathically connecting with Vasic. Vasic had telepathed James and the rest of the Arrows on duty as soon as the director of the EmNet, Silver Mercant, had contacted him.
All telekinetic Arrows had been requested to assist on site while other members of the Squad set down a perimeter. Zaira was leading the team to hunt down the perpetrators after receiving a number of corresponding profiles from the crowd. Having Sione–one of the Squad's best trackers–at her side would help find the perpetrators as fast as possible.
Ambulances, trauma helicopters Enforcement and the fire brigade would take four to six minutes to arrive on site. In the meantime, a part of the street was cleared to treat victims who immediately required medical assistance.
A changeling female, the red-brown of her eyes indicating her as one of the tigers, was shooting commands at several bystanders while clasping her hands around the neck of a young male. His face was drenched of color, blood gushing through the fingers of the medic.
James lowered the human female on one of the blankets and briefly inclined his head to the elderly man. He rose and ran towards one of his Squad members who was handing out fire-proof gear.
"Status?" he asked as he quickly shrugged off his suit jacket and stepped inside the lightweight overalls, happy that he'd listened to the urge compelling him to wear his boots when he'd dressed for the gala.
"Unknown. We're waiting for an update from the Em-Net," Ella answered.
Nodding and zipping up a jacket of the same fire-proof material, James ran towards the panicking mass.
All Tk Arrows are to wait for instructions from building engineers before moving any debris.
James set his jaw. Moving pieces of rubble before calculating whether the structure was strong enough to endure the shifting weight could cause the entire building to collapse. It was counterintuitive to wait, yet following Vasic' order was critical to ensure the least amount of casualties.
While waiting for Vasic' next command, James looked up when he caught wings filling the sky, the Eagle changelings flying to the rescue of the humans in their domain. The changeling Eagles were far larger than their animal kin; James estimated the wingspan of the largest changelings were over five yards.
Several eagles swept down in pairs of two, working cohesively as a seamless unit, placing their large talons around the upper arms of civilians, pulling them up and out of the danger zone. The large wingspan of the eagles made the rescues all the more impressive, since they didn't tangle their wings once.
ETA of the engineers is two minutes, Vasic informed James and his brethren. In the meantime, assist as many injured outside of the building i–
A loud snapping sound momentarily muted the chaos around him, the ground shifting underneath his feet. James looked up to the second minaret that was collapsing. Raising his hands, he tried to catch the structure with his Tk, but the plascrete was far too heavy for him to lift by himself. The screams and cries around him intensified when the tower fell–not with as much speed as it would without James holding the structure up, yet still too fast.
A heartbeat later, three of his fellow Tk Arrows stood next to him, including a cardinal soldier. Together they managed to place the pieces of the tower on the ground. When a mental notification pinged in James mind, he left his fellow Arrows to tend to the structure on this side of the mosque while he ran through the panicking mass of people towards the northwest corner of the burning building, where Evan was trying to smother the flames with his telekinesis.
I'm going in, he telepathed to Vasic while encasing himself in a Tk shield. The fire department just notified they are stuck in traffic. Without speaking, James assisted Evan, both of them using their Tk to harness the blazing flames licking against the sides of the building.
Cover me, James telepathed to Evan before leaping through an opening. In the midst of the flames, he saw two small girls crouched in the center of a large hall. He jerked when he felt a flash of fear surging through his connection with Hailey. She'd probably been able to reach a comm by now and would have seen the death and destruction he was facing right this moment.
Putting her worry aside for the moment, James encased the small girls in his telekinetic shield. His heart kicked when one of the girls made eye contact, memories of two other helpless girls pushing through his focus. Inhaling, James lifted the smallest girl, muttering reassurances and took the hand of the other. Pulling the oldest girl along, he led her through the hall and towards the opening as fast as he could.
When the girls were safely outside–a medic having taken over the small girl that clung to him–James turned to run into the building again. He jumped through the opening when the ground shuddered as a loud bang roared through the sky. James could telekinetically feel the pulse of the shockwave from a second explosion fill the air.
Another surge of anxiety and fear rippled through his connection with Hailey before her feelings were cut off. His mate was probably aware of the fact that he could sense her fear and that her emotions would distract him. Realizing it must be hard for her to know he was in the midst of danger, James decided to send her a quick reassurance. Before he could leap back through the opening and connect to her, a loud snap sounded.
Blocks of plascrete fell in front of his feet, and he was barely able to deflect one of the falling pieces of debris from hitting his head when the ceiling gave in.
"James!" Evan's shout was hardly audible over the roaring blaze of the fire. James pushed the ceiling up with his Tk as he searched for a space where to shove the heavy weight of the structure. When he finally saw a clear spot on the lawn, he lowered the rubble while keeping the rest of the building steady with his Tk. Trickles of sweat ran past his temples as he steadied a wall almost falling on top of a man still inside the building, limping towards the opening Evan had created.
Can you take over? James asked Evan as he tried to let Hailey know he was fine. He hadn't expected her to be this worried–not when she would be able to sense that he was alright through their bond.
The younger man shook his head. The structure will collapse too quickly, my Tk is mainly useful on a molecular level.
James frowned when he sensed nothing whatsoever from his mate, his shirt clinging onto his torso while perspiration formed on his nose, the heat of the flames engulfing the air. He didn't like Hailey closing herself off from him, even if it did blur his focus; he'd experienced the sensation previously when she'd been training her shielding abilities. Dividing his attention between keeping the walls of the mosque up and contacting Hailey, he quickly entered the PsyNet. When he reached out to touch his bond to her, everything around him went quiet for a moment.
Their bond, her star… they weren't there.
"Telepath Vasic to send someone to help you!" He growled out the order, torn between his need to check up on Hailey and his faltering brother next to him, Evan's cheekbones starting to cut through his skin, burning up his psychic powers by using his Tk to pull the oxygen out of the air around the flames, smothering the fire.
Maybe she's consumed alcohol, disturbing the connection momentarily? While it was a perfectly reasonable explanation, James couldn't stop the need from making sure she was safe. The darkness within stirred at the emptiness, instantly missing Hailey's warmth and light.
To James' surprise, Kaleb Krychek teleported in ten seconds later. He shot the cardinal a glance. "There are still people inside," he said before releasing his hold on the structure. To Krychek's credit, he didn't hesitate and held the walls in place while Evan continued to use his Tk to extinguish large patches of fire.
James didn't waste another second as he locked onto Vasic' face and teleported to his second in command. "There's something wrong." He connected to the PsyNet again. "I can't see Hailey anymore," he said, his voice gritty while his heart rate quickened, the loud beat pulsing in his ears. "I can't sense her anymore." He quickly slid off the fire-proof jacket and overalls before wiping sweat off his brow, his shirt pasted to his body from the heat and use of his psychic abilities.
Vasic tore his eyes away from the datapad where pictures of victims were sent to, giving him a facial lock to teleport them out of their trapped positions.
"Your vision?" Vasic asked while holding onto his gaze. James felt a slight tremor pass through his frame.
"I don't know." He tried to control his elevated heartbeat but found it to be impossible as he used the hologram on his watch to locate the tracking devices he'd put in Hailey's shoes. All dots lit up at the coordinates of her apartment.
Of course.
She wasn't wearing her sneakers tonight. He placed a call to her phone, only to get connected to her voicemail.
"If someone is able to use her for her abilities the consequences could be catastrophic… especially now," Vasic said, his face grim. "Go."
James immediately teleported to Shane's house, using Shane's face as a lock. If Hailey had consumed alcohol and it was the reason for their connection to falter, she'd rip his heart out for leaving the innocent people at site of the explosions. James had no intention of kick starting that discussion if he'd be able to check up on her more stealthily before returning to Manhattan.
Shane jerked upright from his leaned back position against a wall in the kitchen when he saw James, having stared at the entertainment comm broadcasting a live feed of the events in the city. The female Shane had been speaking to let out a startled cry.
James ignored her as he locked eyes with Shane. "Where is she?"
The confusion on Shane's face made James' darkest nightmare come to life. Before Shane answered, James already knew what he was going to say. "Hailey? I haven't seen her yet."
James' heart stopped beating for an instance as a sensation shuddered through his frame.
Fear.
Raw and clawing, fighting to take over his control. James glanced at his watch.
"I thought she said you guys were coming over together." Shane's face turned pale when James found his voice again.
"I dropped her off six-and-a-half minutes ago." He didn't waste time speaking to the man who obviously could give him no further information. Using Hailey's face as a lock, he deeply inhaled and initiated the travel.
Nothing happened.
No!
His heart a drumbeat in his ears, James looked up at Shane. "Can you sense her through the ShadowNet?" Perhaps there was something blocking only his connection to Hailey, not her connection to others.
Shane shook his head, his eyes wide as the full scale of Hailey's disappearance dawned on him. "I haven't been able to see her on our Net since you guys mated."
Keeping his Tk on a tight, tight leash, James teleported back to Vasic.
"I can't use her face as a lock."
Vasic frowned for an instance before his jaw became a tight line. "The only time I wasn't able to lock onto a face was when someone's appearance had changed too much." Vasic' grey eyes were clouded with an emotion James couldn't make up.
James' voice raised in anguish. "What aren't you telling me?" Inhaling to find some form of control, James stepped onto the Net again, to find only emptiness where his mate's bright star was supposed to be.
Vasic' tone was ice cold. "If the change in her appearance is sudden, there's a good chance someone brutalized her face, similar to the BlackSea changelings the Consortium tried to hide."
Fury tore through James' body as he thrust his hands through his hair, the thought of someone maiming Hailey making his Tk almost impossible to harness. For the first time in his life he wanted to scream to let the rage out somehow.
You have to focus. You have to stay calm for her.
He travelled back to Shane's house, to the exact location where he'd kissed Hailey goodbye before teleporting to the explosion site.
"Jesus!" Shane exclaimed while lowering his fist. Apparently, he'd had the wits to look for Hailey outside as well. He met James' eyes. "You didn't find her." Shane's voice was quiet, his bright green eyes darkening with worry.
James looked inside the vehicle he'd used to drive to Shane's house. Hailey's purse and her gift for Morgan were missing. He walked towards the house while meticulously inspecting the street for any sign of Hailey's disappearance.
He remembered feeling her anxiety, how he'd mistaken her fear for worry. She hadn't been worried. She'd been in danger. As soon as the thought passed his mind, James knew it was true.
When he went to check the front yard, Shane called out.
James ran around the house to find Shane standing on a narrow path several yards away from the back entrance. Shane scowled at him. "Why were you at the front door?" Before James could respond with a rather obvious answer, Shane added, "Hailey is family. She always uses the back door."
James realized it was one of the many subtleties in human behavior Psy weren't familiar with. He'd believed her safe because he'd done a telepathic scan of the street before leaving. It had shown no signs of people outside of their houses, and the Arrow he'd ordered to stand guard was probably mainly scanning the front of the house for threats. James shoved the piece of information somewhere in the back of his mind for future security purposes as he looked at Shane's hand.
Focus. She needs you to remain calm, sharp and ruthless.
"Her phone." Shane held up the sleek device, the print of music notes on the cover confirming Shane's observation. James did a telepathic scan of the garden but found no one in the darkness. He inspected the tiles on the narrow path while telepathically reaching out to the Arrow on guard duty.
There's been no movement on this end of the street, Sir, the young male informed him, confirming James' suspicions that even though the Arrow had circled the premises, he'd mainly stood guard near the front entrance.
Using the light from his watch, he saw Hailey's purse and the gift bag lying on the ground in a dark corner of the garden, where a curved maple tree and some large hedges would have hidden the attacker from Hailey's view. He aimed the beam of light on the ground and could make up large footprints and small, circular holes in the ground. The footprints were only a few steps away from the small stairs leading to the back door.
She'd almost been safe. Almost.
If he'd only taken the time to walk her to the door. If he'd only waited until she was safely inside. Guilt clawed heavily at him, metal talons raking through his chest.
James inhaled and summoned every ounce of his tracking skills. He couldn't change the past, but he could–and swore he would–change the outcome of the future.
No one would take Hailey from him.
Leashing the darkness inside that was calling out for blood, shouted at him to kill everyone who'd dare to touch her, James drew in another deep breath. He turned away from the entrance and searched the narrow pathway. When something on the light stones caught his eye, he walked over and crouched down. He touched one of the dark, circular drops with the tip of his finger. The bright red color confirmed his suspicion.
Blood.
Following the trail of droplets, he walked through the open door of the fence, leading to a carport. Streetlights bathed the road behind Shane's house in a soft, yellow glow, and James saw, knew then that this was his vision.
Ignoring the sensation crushing his chest, he went on his haunches and reached for a strand of the sparkling fine gold chain that had decorated Hailey's dress, next to a puddle of splatters in deep, dark scarlet.
Three minutes in, six small, round, purple-red bruises colored her lower arm. More bruises would probably be visible on her thighs. Grimacing when the heel made impact with the skin of her forearm rather than the narrow band again, Hailey nearly slung the pump through the back of the van.
While begging the universe to strike Matt down with a lightning bolt right this second, she lifted the shoe again. When it came down on the bracelet this time, a crack appeared on the side. Hope and excitement surged through her just before a shard stabbed in her head and the bracelet lit up.
No!
Slamming down the heel one more time, she covered the sparks of the electronics inside the bracelet with her body, shielding the light from Matt's view. Hailey yanked the device from hell off her wrist and shoved it inside her bra after making sure it was definitely broken. James would want to take a look at it, as would Aden.
If humans were able to use this device on anyone within an arm's length reach, it would definitely level out the playing field–dangerously so. Hailey shuddered at the idea of someone being able to get a similar device on, for instance, Kaleb Krychek, who was currently holding the PsyNet together by repairing damaged zones. Millions would die. James would die.
Hell no!
Bracing her hands on the floor to stop from falling–Matt was still driving like a madman–she inhaled and exhaled a couple of times. The van came to a sudden halt and Hailey lurched forward, nearly busting her nose on the back door. Able to balance herself in time, she shot a quick glance to the small window to see Matt had stopped in front of a traffic light.
Come on! It has to be now!
Hailey steadied herself when Matt drove off again and focused.
Think of how you feel when you run.
The van tilted to the left and Hailey's body smacked against the side of the vehicle. Wincing, she pushed herself upright and slipped on her shoe. She heard Matt's muffled voice sounding through the space but couldn't make out the conversation. When the van turned again, she used her Tk for support and tried centering herself again.
Hailey thought of all the laps she'd ran, the crisp wind against her face, her feet pounding on the emerald grass of the small training field in the valley. She inhaled. The feeling of James' deep voice inside her head, telling her how to use her Tk in unison with her body. Exhaled. His telekinetic touch encasing her, keeping her safe. Inhaled.His big, warm hands on her hips. Exhaled. His azure blue eyes, sparking with humor. Inhaled. The scent of oak moss and sandalwood. Exhaled. The feeling of home, of belonging and love.
Slamming out her hands, she burst out her Tk against the doors. A loud bang echoed through the back of the van as the doors were wrenched out of their hinges. They flew through the air and landed on the street with a loud crash. Streetlights bathed the back of the truck in a yellow glow. Hailey squinted to help adjust her eyes to the sudden change in light and pushed herself up to a standing position.
She didn't hesitate for a single moment when the van started swinging from left to right. She jumped out, boosting her jump with her Tk and barely managed to avoid an oncoming car as she fell.
Encasing herself in a telekinetic shield, she smacked onto the asphalt. Her shield didn't hold up after the initial impact and Hailey felt the skin on her elbows scrape against the rough surface as she covered her head with her arms. A raw grunt escaped her throat as she rolled sideways to avoid the traffic, ripping sounds all around her. After rolling several times, she managed to come to a stop, belly flat on the street.
Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered the van coming to a screeching halt, but Hailey was too preoccupied with the pain burning her skin. Every inch of her body felt bruised when she tried to get up, her dress torn to pieces and her shoes lost somewhere when she jumped.
Hailey scanned her surroundings and saw she was at an industrial area close to the docks. Several large warehouses stood close, but besides the three cars that had come to a sudden halt when she'd jumped out of the van, there was no one in sight.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw Matt leaping out of the vehicle.
Don't look into his eyes!
Quickly averting her gaze, Hailey slowly pushed herself up, clenching her jaw as she willed her battered and bloody body to fight. When she turned around, she saw people stepping out of their cars to assess the situation. The rest of the road was uncharacteristically quiet.
Roads must have been blocked in order for the Arrows to pursue the perpetrators of the explosions.
While that thought flashed through her mind, Hailey angled her head towards the city center. She could see smoke circling above multiple points of New York, a glowing cloud of white and grey.
Jesus.
How many people were injured because of the insane idiots who wanted to get their kicks out of hurting people? Heart slamming in her chest, she turned to the spectators who had stepped out of their vehicles.
"Quick!" Hailey yelled, "call the Arrows, Enforcement, the Eagles, anybody!"
A short woman with sleek red hair stepped closer towards Hailey, the heels of her shoes clicking on the asphalt. "Come with me, I'll drive you to a hospital," her flat voice indicating her as Psy.
Shaking from shock and adrenaline, Hailey almost covered the distance. Then she recalled where she'd heard the sound of clicking heels before and noticed the taser in the woman's hand.
The vision!
Hailey leaped as to run and immediately felt her ankle give in. The fall after the jump must have twisted it somehow, but she'd been too amped up to notice. Not wanting to make herself more of a defenseless target by being on the ground, she used her Tk in order to stop herself from falling. Blood drizzled down her forearms, her skin shredded due to the fall. When she set her feet a little more apart in order to regain balance, she noticed sharp stings from her right leg. Without looking down, she knew her skin there was shredded as well, thick crimson beading on her thigh, slithering down her calf.
Two men stood next to another vehicle, one looked maybe fifty and was bald. The other man was younger, closer to Hailey's age. Together, they moved towards her without speaking.
Hailey's eyes shot to the people who'd gotten out of the third car, and she noticed the cardinal eyes of the tall, dark skinned woman who watched her together with her equally tall male companion. A shiver ran through Hailey's spine when they all kept staring at her.
What the hell is wrong with these people?!
Fear jolted through her system when she saw the spectators make eye contact with each other. The cardinal then returned her gaze to Hailey… and smiled.
Fuck! They're all working together.
Heart racing in her chest, Hailey tried to reach James again now she was able to use her powers again, but failed when she saw the two men and red-haired woman close her in.
Summoning a boost of Tk, she pushed against the car of the tall couple, slamming it against the two men nearing her. The bald man jumped back in time to avoid the vehicle.
The younger man wasn't as lucky. The car smashed against him, slamming him backward against the vehicle he'd exited. A shrill cry and a sickening cracking sound were the only things Hailey registered before returning her attention to the woman on her right.
Just when she wanted to reach out with her draining ability, she saw a shadow lunging towards her from the corner of her eye. Shoving Matt away while he was mid-air, he fell to the asphalt.
The bald man stirred, and Hailey slammed out a telekinetic shield, her subconscious having picked up that he was carrying a weapon. The laser fire was deflected by her shield, a nearly painful white flash lighting up the protective cocoon around her. Slamming out her hand, she targeted a blast of Tk to the man's hand, causing his weapon to fly through the air and land with a hard clash somewhere on the plascrete. Her shield started to falter, and Hailey felt her head thud, her mind straining from the extreme use of her telekinesis.
Right then, Hailey was hit with the most painful blast she'd ever experienced–which was telling, considering her recent torturous encounter. Electricity jolted through her system as her body convulsed. She fell to her knees, her skin breaking as soon as she slammed on the asphalt, the thin material from her dress hanging in shreds down her thighs.
Releasing a soundless cry, she realized the red-haired woman had used the taser on her. Her muscles locked and the feeling was agonizing, tearing through her beaten body.
When it was finally over, Hailey slumped to the ground. Panting, she tried to think herself out of this situation but her mind was hazy from pain, her thoughts unfocussed.
Footsteps approached.
No! It doesn't get to end like this!
Blinking in an attempt to clear her head, Hailey saw the bald man and red-haired woman standing over her, while the tall couple were watching the scene play out from several yards away. The tall man was holding a mobile comm device and was shooting nervous looks at the cardinal woman across from him. Hailey briefly closed her eyes.
Five to one odds. It doesn't sound too bad if you put it like that…
"We should kill her now. She's seen too much, she'll be able to identify us." The tone of that voice sounded entirely practical, convincing Hailey the bald man was also Psy.
She opened her eyes and tried to think past the pain burning through her body. Breath still coming in choppy, she recalled what James had told her and shown her in the visions. A Tk or Tp that held her down while she was tortured.
"We made a deal," the woman said. "The human gets to have her. Besides, we still need her for the Arrow."
James. They're talking about James!
Hailey bit her lip to stop herself from crying. She wanted to hold him, wanted to tell him how much she loved him before she was forced to leave him. Because it was going to happen. One way or another, these people were going to kill her. Hailey closed her eyes again and tried to grasp hold of her connection to James one more time.
I'm so sorry, love. I'm so sorry it won't be forever.
Hailey opened her eyes to see the man and woman still discussing their next course of action. She scanned the street to find nothing but a few sober looking buildings and returned her attention to her attackers. They didn't even seem to care they were discussing her murder in the middle of the street.
Something clicked inside her mind.
The psychopaths in the Net.
What else could it be? These people didn't seem to know about her draining ability, otherwise they'd never risk to standing so close to her. Besides that, their focus seemed to be on capturing an Arrow. Hailey recalled Matt's words.
"This is their idea of the ultimate hunt."
Shuddering, she tried to focus, tried to find her center, but her concentration was disturbed when the bald man reached down and hauled her up.
Telepath.
No moderate to high-level Tk would have touched her if they could have used their ability.
"Get your fucking paws off me." Hailey tried to push her weary body out of his hold, but her Tk failed her. The man dragged her towards the redhead's car. Hailey mentally prepared herself for the storm of voices inside her mind as she reached out with her draining ability. Just when she located the man's psychic presence, the air shimmered a few yards in front of her.
A handsome, tall man with blond hair and azure blue eyes appeared, his shirt clinging to his skin, sweat and black streaks on his face, his hair mussed as if he'd ran his hands through the short waves.
Hailey let out a small sob at the sight of James, relief and fear combined. When his gaze locked with hers, she saw violent storms of fury reflected in his eyes.
The man that held her gasped and released her; his body unnaturally frozen. Hailey swayed, but felt a familiar touch of Tk encase her while the man squealed an animal-like sound before slumping to the ground. Hailey heard snapping noises, like a thick piece of plas was being crushed, followed by another shriek from the man. She looked over her shoulder and saw his eyes roll back in his head, blood bubbling out of his mouth.
Hailey limped towards James while the redhead was backing away to her car, her eyes nervously shooting to the tall couple a few yards away from her, but James was far too quick. He lifted her with his Tk and smashed her onto the asphalt.
With lightning speed James moved towards her and enclosed her in his arms, one hand wrapped around her back and the other fisted in her hair. You're safe. I'm here.
I'm so glad you found me. Hailey's heart nearly burst apart as she wrapped her arms around him, keeping her eyes open, because the threat? It wasn't gone yet.
Even though the cardinal or her male companion hadn't made a move yet, it didn't make them innocent. From the glances the others had shot the tall Psy woman, Hailey deduced she was running the show… and a cardinal was more powerful than either her or James was.
James' chest was rising and falling in a faster rhythm than usual, and Hailey knew he must have spent significant energy during the explosions.
James set his booted feet apart, tucked her closer to his body. She looked up to see white-hot rage scorching in his eyes when he scanned her face.
A click sounded to their left, a sound Hailey had heard in many movies... someone was pointing a gun at them.
"Good. You're here. Now my friends and I can finish the deal and go our separate ways." Matt's voice sounded odd.
Echoing. Coaxing.
He's trying to use his abilities, Hailey warned James, don't look into his eyes.
While either one of them could easily knock the gun out of Matt's hand, they'd have to be looking in his general direction to make sure the telekinetic blow would land.
James kept his gaze on the tall man and cardinal woman who were still standing quietly next to each other. Hailey reached out with her draining powers to try and sense whatever ability they had. The man's psychic presence was hardly noticeable, like he was weakened. He was shivering, his teeth chattering, his skin layered with sweat. Hailey disregarded him and focused on the dark-skinned cardinal.
We need to be careful of her. She's very powerful, Hailey told James.
James' hand tightened in her hair. So am I. The air around them shimmered, a sign of James using his Tk-shield, while he slammed down a protective black framework around her mind, similar to the shield he'd used when she'd been at the valley, only stronger.
"Just give me Hailey," Matt said gently, "and I won't shoot you."
Hailey leaned into James and realized she was close to fainting, the adrenaline gradually leaving her bloodstream. She was weakened by the significant amount of blood loss due to the knife wounds and fall on the asphalt when she'd jumped out of the van. If the attackers managed to injure her more, she could go into shock. But more importantly; her psychic muscles were strained. There was barely more than a whisper of Tk in her system. She wasn't sure about the draining part of her abilities, since her abilities didn't necessarily work in unison.
Still, it didn't look good.
James would probably be able to fight off Matt, the cardinal and the tall man, but that calculation didn't include Hailey as a burden for him to protect whilst fighting. More importantly, Hailey saw two vehicles approaching fast. There was a good chance the people in the car had been called by the tall man moments ago.
"Come on, you Arrow bastard," a smile in Matt's soft voice, degradingly mollifying, "give Hailey to me and I'll make sure nothing bad happens to her."
I'm teleporting us right now.
Hailey's eyes snapped up at James. You can't. I think these people are responsible for the attacks in the city. If you try to get me somewhere safe, chances are they'll get away.
Hailey felt the violent storm of emotions through their connection but stood her ground. There was no way she'd let these terrorists disappear in some dark hole just to pop out and pull another stunt like this again. She couldn't–wouldn't–put other people, other Arrows, at risk like that. It had to stop, right now.
James' gaze was pure ice, and Hailey could feel the rejection burning through his body–which made his answer surprising. We need to hold them off for four minutes maximum. There's a rapid response team coming this way as we speak, and I'm sending location images to other teleport-capable Tk's.
She clenched her hands on his shirt. Four minutes.
Alright. She'd give him that. Together.
Right then, the cardinal stirred, and Hailey felt a sting in her mind; the cardinal's Tp powerful enough to break through the framework James had wrapped around her mind. Hailey clenched her jaw and concentrated on blocking the attack while Matt closed in on them, circling them in order to make eye contact.
"Hurry the fuck up." Such odd words when spoken so sweetly, so gently and pacifying, Matt having almost reached their front.
James telepathically shot her several commands and Hailey curtly inclined her head in acknowledgement while keeping her eyes on the cardinal telepath, focusing on strengthening her own shields enough to endure the telepathic attack for a few more moments.
Three.
James' deep voice in the walls of her mind.
Two.
Resolve filling her heart.
One.
Inhaling deeply before leaping away to run for one of the large warehouses, Hailey sent a telepathic kiss to James. I love you.
She used the last of her Tk to do as James had instructed, wrapping it around her ankle to steady her paces and using it to get away as quickly as possible. A shot sounded from behind her, and Hailey winced but kept on running while deflecting the telepaths' efforts on the mental plane. With the amount of Tk James had in his skill set, he would easily be able to deflect a bullet, so she didn't have to worry about that threat.
Heaving, Hailey reached a large, grey building right before she heard another shot. She jerked when a hole was punched through the plascrete wall next to her but kept her eyes on her goal. A narrow ladder was connected to the outside of the building. Hailey quickly climbed on top of it as fast as she could with gritted teeth, favoring her ankle.
Panting and dizzy, she reached the top of the roof and felt the telepathic battering against her mind stop. Her heart boomed in her chest, beating so fast it hurt. Only when she was certain no one had followed her did she dare to move to the front of the warehouse, her movements draggy, blood trickling down her arms and legs.
Closing her eyes briefly to tell the nightmare in her head to go fuck itself, she quietly crouched down to peer over the edge of the building onto the street. Dark shadows moved swiftly in the dim light; James distinguishable due to the fluid grace of his movements as he fought off the attackers using a combination of his Tk and hand-to-hand combat techniques.
James had incapacitated the tall male and two others Hailey didn't recognize, probably the people who'd sat in the approaching cars. Three others she didn't know and Matt–without his gun–closed a circle around James. Her heart froze when she realized the response team would never arrive in time to help him. And her blood turned to ice at the idea of any of them putting a bracelet on James; if they'd manage to do so, he'd be defenseless against Psy abilities.
Her protective Arrow had sacrificed himself in order to let her run away.
A beautiful, deep voice whispered in her mind, and she had to fight the hopeless cry that wanted to leave her throat.
No! There's no way in hell I'm letting him go!
Hailey rose, fisted her hands at the stabbing burns in her body, and stepped forward.
James twisted and kicked one of the men running towards him hard enough in his chest to hear a snapping sound, while using his Tk to fend off two other attackers. He still didn't understand how Hailey could have been cut off from him the way she had been without her conscious attempt, but abrupt as her departure on the Net had been, as surprising was her return.
After finding the blood underneath Shane's carport, he'd tried tracking down the vehicle Shane had described. The main problem had been that the Arrows' recourses were spent on assisting the EmNet call. Because Shane didn't know the plate code of the van, James had used Shane's organizer and hacked into the traffic control cameras, but going through the material took a lot of time and focus.
Simultaneously, James tried tracking Hailey through the PsyNet, yet every effort had been absolutely useless. It was as if she'd simply vanished into thin air.
After ten minutes of frustration and anger, he'd finally felt her reach out through their bond in the Net, channeling her location. He saw the yellow lights of the street, the asphalt underneath her and the people standing over her.
Fragments of those pictures were his visions come to life. Then he'd noticed a sign Hailey had seen the muted light. GTS workshops.
Without hesitating, James had teleported to the place Hailey had showed him. And when he'd seen her, for a fraction of a second, his heart had stopped working.
Cuts on the delicate skin of her throat, deeper lacerations slashed across the right side of her face, bruises on her left cheekbone and temple. That had been enough to ignite the raging darkness within, but his training had kept him in check, making sure to register every injury in order to take care of her. Jagged slithers of scarlet ran down her jaw and neck, staining the top half of her dress, the deep green fabric black from blood. The skirt was torn to ribbons, Hailey's legs shredded–as were her arms. She even had marks on her bare shoulder. By then, he was certain the amount of blood gushing down her legs and arms weren't only a result of superficial injuries, but indicated muscle damage as well.
How she'd managed to stay upright spoke of her incredible amount of willpower, the bright light in her refusing to dim, refusing to give up, even with all those wounds marring her. The sight of her had made him want to kill every single one of the people around her, his Tk almost bursting out of his body.
But he wouldn't chance hurting Hailey and going after her assailants before she was safe would mean she was at risk. When she retorted against teleporting to a safe place, he'd almost done it anyway. Nothing was more important than her safety. Then he'd remembered the mistake he'd made before.
"You took her choice away."
And even though she was battered and bloody, James couldn't disagree with her logic. The terrorists would get away if they left. So he'd forced his mind into gear, had chosen the safest place where she could hide quickly while he took down the attackers.
Only he'd forgotten to calculate one thing while outlining his plan; the multiple teleports and assisting during the Em-Net call had taken away a considerable amount of his power. In fact, he was closer to flaming out than he wanted to admit.
A tremor ran through his body.
A precognition.
James pushed it away, not wanting to focus on what he'd seen. He had to keep fighting. He had to keep going in order to protect Hailey, regardless of what his foresight had showed him.
Mentally counting until backup would arrive–one hundred and eighteen seconds left–an invisible blow slammed against his face. Shaking his head and straightening his stance, James figured one of the attackers must have minor Tk in their skillset. He could feel where the inside of his cheek had smashed against his teeth and spat on the ground, his saliva filled with blood.
Then he realized he couldn't fight what he'd seen. Hailey's vision–where blood had dripped from his lips–combined with the precognition that had hit him seconds ago made it all too clear. He was drained and outnumbered.
He wasn't going to survive this.
Shaking off the inevitable, he vowed he'd keep going for her, until his last breath. He blocked a series of blows, slammed out with his Tk but the hit was muted, his telekinesis fading.
Tu seras toujours ma moitié, Siren, he said to the woman who held his heart and who'd showed him more of life in a couple of months than he'd experienced in the rest of his thirty-two years on this earth. At least he'd had that, at least he'd held her and had lived, even if he wished it could have been longer. The Squad would take care of Hailey, as would her friends. Contrary to him, she was strong enough to make it.
James saw an opening as one of the men charged him, knew that he'd be struck with an incapacitating mental blow after he'd knocked this assailant out, but that awareness wasn't enough. There was nothing he could do about it while three others circled him; not without his Tk.
Then he felt determination pulse through his bond with Hailey.
"Fuck you and your stupid plan!" Her shout loudly pierced the air.
Everyone's head snapped up to the top of the warehouse where she stood on the edge, the fabric of her torn dress ghostly shapes in the muted light from the street.
No!
James' breath caught at the sight of her, his heart frozen. Face bloody and her long hair wildly whipping in the wind, Hailey looked like a warrior princess ready to go into battle.
But she wasn't.
She was weakened, vulnerable, not in control of her power and a civilian. She was supposed to hide until backup arrived.
Why the fuck hadn't she listen to him?!
He followed his first instinct to mentally command her to hide and focused to attempt a teleport to her location against all the odds.
No! she interrupted. Do it now! Take them down!
"You want your fucking hunt, pathetic lowlifes?" she screamed as her eyes started to glow in the darkness, "come on then, HUNT!"
James saw the tall, dark skinned woman had closed the distance to the warehouse and finally understood what Hailey was trying to do.
She's acting as a decoy.
He wanted to teleport to her, wanted to take her someplace safe, but knew he was physically unable to do so. He hated her recklessness, hated the fact that she was in the crossfire of these terrorists.
In the confusion Hailey had caused, James found a little room to breathe and knocked down one of the attackers with a well-aimed punch to the temple. Mentally blocking a telepathic blow he'd anticipated with his foresight, James physically took down another attacker–who'd gotten up again–by wrenching his arm behind his back and snapping the joint in his shoulder.
James turned around to kick Matt to the ground while making sure to avoid his eyes and felt a sharp stab in his mind. Just when he would have lunged at one of the men, he experienced a familiar pulling sensation, felt Hailey mentally reaching out to him through their unique connection. On the psychic plane, he grabbed hold of the hand she extended.
A pulse of foreign power jolted through his mind and he sensed Hailey was running on fumes. Her body was on the verge of breaking down in shock, her psychic presence faltering under the sheer power that swung between them like a pendulum.
James' mind expanded, telepathically encasing all the attackers in front of him while blocking their thoughts. He saw the eyes of one of his attackers widen when the man realized he suddenly wasn't able to use his mental combat skills anymore.
The avalanche of power almost took James down, but before his mind could give in, he clenched his fists and slammed out a telepathic burst.
The attackers simultaneously froze in place. Every single one of them screamed and clenched their head between their hands. After a heartbeat, they swayed and dropped to the ground with slithers of blood coming from their noses and ears. Enough to incapacitate them. Not enough to kill them.
Silence fell in a hush over the dark street.
Hailey's presence flickered on the psychic plane, her star fading. James snapped up his head to the top of the roof as the pull inside him eased and the telepathy lessened. He couldn't see Hailey standing on the edge anymore.
The air shimmered around him as several Arrows teleported in.
James didn't wait to give them a report but ran towards the warehouse, his heart a stone weight inside his chest. Hailey was still alive, her presence on the psychic plane turning bright red.
She's flaming out.
James barely noticed the cardinal telepath lying in the dirt in front of the warehouse. Hailey must have used part of the telepathy to give the cardinal a taste of her own medicine. Running towards the ladder mounted on the side of the structure, he hauled himself up and used the final amount of his Tk to speed up his movements as he climbed. When he reached the top, he saw Hailey lying on the plas surface near the edge.
Running towards her, his feet pounding on the see-through roof, he could only think of one thing.
She has to make it. She has to. She can't leave me.
He fell to his knees beside her and carefully lifted her battered body into his arms. When he placed his fingers on her neck to check her pulse, her eyelids fluttered open. A smothered sound escaped his throat as her irises glowed blue-ringed jade before turning solid brown.
"You came for me," her husky voice a whisper.
An unknown sensation stung in his chest at the sound of her voice. He tried to respond but was unable to do so immediately, as if he was punched in the chest so hard, all the air had left his lungs.
Breathing in sharply, he cleared his throat from the odd sensation and spoke aloud. "I'll always come for you." His voice sounded foreign to his ears, raspy and soft.
Hailey smiled a little and reached up to stroke her fingers past his jaw. "You were late." She closed her eyes and exhaled. "You better make sure you're on time when we get married."
He wasn't able to smile at her jest, relief overtaking all other emotions. Hailey would be all right. The woman he adored would live. And he'd live together with her.
Yes, my Siren. I promise.
Her hand dropped next to her body. "I'm tired," she muttered.
James lifted her from the plas roof, carefully cradling her to his chest. "Rest. I'll keep you safe." He always would.
He telepathically requested one of his Squad members for a lift to the infirmary at the valley.
I know you will. Her telepathic voice a faint echo. Forever.